Holiday rentals in Umbria, Italy

Eco heating in Umbria.

Do you know that feeling just before bedtime you sleepily brush your teeth, let the dogs out for a little wee, switch of the lights in the kitchen and living room slide into bed only to be very clear awake a few seconds later. It is the touch of the icecold sheets that hit your warm skin and almost make you jump out of bed.

At a certain point I got fed up with it.

Not wanting to spend energy on an electric blanket I deviced the following procedure. About an hour before I go to bed I put some fine Umbrian terracotta lids on top of my stufa. When they are quite hot I carry them to my bed and put them under the blankets. Ecco fatto, cheap bed heating.

The art of heating your bed has been practiced for ages. In the old days they had warming pans filled with coals to heat the beds. A wooden frame was put over the pan and on top. The sheets and blankets were than drawn over the frame so they would not be set alight. Aforementioned frame is called a ‘prete’ in Italian but I also have heard the term monsignore. Prete means priest and monsignore is the term for a male cleric bestowed upon him by the pope.

Now … why would these bedwarmers be called after the usually celibatic clergy?

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2 thoughts on “Eco heating in Umbria.”

Lovely post! I’m here via Italytutto’s ‘top blog posts on Italy’ spotlight.
I hate the cold and am always looking for ways to avoid screaming at bedtime. I even invested in the horrid eco-unfriendly electric mattress warmer. It is now bundled up in my cellar because it was conducting electricity to my hair and pajamas and would mildly shock whomever I touched, even when it was switched off!!

I will go heat up my earthenware now, and snuggle into my warm bed, uttering my hushed blessing to you for sharing this brilliant idea.